Hame-tug.



No. 743,492. V PATENTED NOV. 10,1903.

. E. v. s. GUIOHARD.

HAML TUG.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1a. 1903.

no MODEL.

by Q a. a. WM

weight and expense of manufacture.

4 U NITED STATES Patented November 10, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HAME-TUG.

srncrnrcnrrioiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,492, datedNovember 10, 1903.

Application filed March 13, 1903- To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, E ILE V. S. GUICHARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cassadaga, in the county of Chautauqua and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Hame-Tug, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to the hame-tugs or the short tugs employedbetween the back and girth band connections and the hame connectionswhereby the traces or tugs are adjustably coupled to the harness, andhas for its object to improve and simplify devices of this character andto increase the efficiency and at the same time decrease the Theinvention consists in certain novel features of the construction, ashereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claim.

The improved device may be employed upon any style of double harness,but is moreparticularly applicable for the heavier forms ofdraft-harness; but I do not wish to be limited in its use upon any styleor form of. harness to which it is applicable.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, in which correspondingparts are denoted by like designating characters, Figure 1 is aperspective view of one of the improved devices detached from theharness parts. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device. Fig. 3 is asectional detail, enlarged, illustrating the operation of the tug loop.Fig. 4: is a transverse section on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 2.

The improved device consists of a baseplate 10, having an offset 11 atone end and adapted to be connected to an extension 12, projecting froman eye 14, the latter adapted to be connected to the hame-loop in theordinary manner. The opposite end of the plate is likewise fo rmed withan olfset 15, adapted to be connected to a plate 16, having the backhandloop 17, girth-loop 18, and holdbackloop 19, together with the keeperfor the long tug or trace.

The plate 10 comes next to the horse and is inclined outwardly at oneend, as shown at 22, so that the plate 16 and its attachments will bemaintained out of contact with the Serial No. 148,408. (No model.)

animal and prevent chafing. This is an important feature of theconstruction and adds materially to its value and efficiency.

Spacedfrom the base-plate 10 is another or outer plate 23, connected byone end to the plate 16 and by the other end to the extension 12 of thehame-coupling eye 14, as shown. The bar 10 is formed of metal ofsufficient thickness to brace the bar or'plate 23. The eye 14 isprovided with two of the extensions spaced apart, as shown, one, 12,between the parts 11 23, and the other extension, as 13, outside thepart 23, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The parts will be connected by fastening devices 24. at their respectiveends, as shown, and thus be firmly clamped together.

' Extending from one face of the plate 23 are a plurality of tongues 26,inclined toward one end of the plate 23 and likewise toward the plate10, leaving relatively contracted spaces between their free ends and thebase-plate, as shown. The tongues are so disposed with relation to theplate 23 that a guide-space 27 will be formed for the introduction ofthe trace-connecting device. This guide-space communicates with anenlargement or recess at the base of the tongue, in which recess theconnecting device will be secured.

The means for connecting the trace or tug to the improved deviceconsists of an oblong loop 29, formed of spaced side bars andreversely-disposed spaced transverse connecting-bars, one of thetransverse bars, as 30, passing through the space 27 between the tongueand the plate 23 and flattened on one side, as shown in Fig. 3, toenable it to pass through the contracted throats 27 when the loop isturned into the position shown in Fig. 3.

The bar will freely turn in the recess 28 after it is inserted therein,but cannot be withdrawn therefrom unless the loop be turned into theposition shown in Fig.

When loop 29 is in its proper position with relation to the recess 28,the greatest diameter of the bar 30 will be disposed at a' right angleto the restricted outlet of the recess, so

as to insure a perfect connection of the loop 29 with the recess. Thebar 23*is; formed with a series of intermediate curved portionsconforming to the curvature of the tongues,

so that the intervening spaces between the tongues and the bar will havesubstantially parallel walls to easily guide the loop 29 into one of therecesses 28. By this arrangement the loop 29 can be adjusted along thebar 23 and engaged with any of its plurality of tongues, but must befirst turned into the unusual position. shown in Fig. 3, a positionwhich the loop would never assume when in use, no matter how severelythe harness might be thrown about or agitated. It will be observed thatthe plate 10 is spaced a sulficient distance from the ends of thetongues 26, so that the loop 29 can pass between the plate 10 and thetongues to effect the desired adjustment. The integrity of the couplingwould not then be disturbed while the harness is in use and would remainintact and in the operative position to which it is adjusted under allconditions, while at the same time readily adjustable when required.

The parts of the device will preferably be of malleable iron or steelsuitably finished and ornamented to conform to the other metal parts ofthe harness.

The device will possess ample strength, while atthe same time, owing tothe manner of constructing and uniting the parts, can be manufactured ofrelatively light material and at small expense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The combinationwith a rigid inner baseplate, of an outer plate connected therewith andarranged parallel with and spaced from the base-plate to form betweenthem a permanently free longitudinal channel, said outer plate havingupon its inner face a plurality of transverse openings, a plurality oftongues extending forwardly one from each opening and cooperating withthe outer plate to form each a reduced entrance-throat to one of theopenings, said reduced throat communicating with the longitudinalchannel between the plates, and a loop having a substantiallysemicircular bar designed to travel through the reduced throats andseatwithin the openings, said bar being adapted to travel freely throughthe channel from one opening to another.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EMILE V. S. GUICl-IARD.

Witnesses:

F. W. BEEBE, F. H. PICKETT.

